Game-Buying 101: Where To Get Them Cheap

Let’s face it: gaming can be a very expensive hobby. When you have to spend tons on budget-draining hardware and wallet-sucking games, you start feeling the effects: living off instant noodles and cheap coffee, the inability to spend much on anything else. Soon, you start to look for ways to get them cheaper. And the biggest question ends up being: Where to buy cheap games? Where to get Xbox deals? PC deals? How about PlayStation deals?

We can’t blame you, but thankfully, super cheap games aren’t hard to find if you know where to look. We’ve put together a list of some ways you can get games without having to pay for the full price.

AMAZON SPECIAL OFFERS

Amazon continues its world domination and has moved into the video game space too. Not only do they offer the opportunity to trade in your old games, Amazon also offer 2nd hand games and new games at discounted rates. Keep an eye on Amazon from time to time and you might find an amazing deal to be had.

G2A

We previously mentioned that there have been reported problems with activating keys in the past but G2A offers but this can easily be solved with G2A’s shield service which can be added during checkout to avoid any rogue sellers and guarantee you 100% satisfaction. G2A has now been included and you can’t go wrong with their discounts and wide range of offers, make sure to have a look and don’t forget to protect your purchase with G2A shield.

HUMBLE BUNDLE

Humble Bundle is essentially a pay-what-you-want sort of deal where you decide how much you’re willing to pay for a bundle of games, with comics up for grabs, too. What’s more, a portion of proceeds go to charity, so on top of getting a discount on the games you want, you get to help out others! And who doesn’t like that?

The process is simple: name your price and you’ll get whatever portion of the bundle that unlocks. This is a great way to get a set of games you’ve been eyeing for some time for a single, cheap price. Additionally, you also get access to content on Steam. We suggest that the more indie-inclined take a look at their Humble Indie Bundles- as of writing this, the 16th one has Retro City Rampage DX, Outlast and Never Alone in one set.

BUNDLE STARS

Bundle Stars has some really awesome steals and some of the best deals yet, with popular games selling for up to 75% off. What’s more, all their Steam keys are sourced directly from the game’s official publisher, so you know you’re getting the real thing. The indie-game-lover who wants to play stuff before they get popular (although they also distribute AAA titles and DLCs, make no mistake about that) will definitely want to keep a close eye on this distributor and their limited-time bundle deals. And by limited-time, we mean limited-time, because some of the best deals, like getting Mad Max or Bastion for 75% off, go live for just about a day. For cheap game bundles be sure to have a look.

STEAM SALES

PC platform Steam has a number of game sales interspersed throughout the year. They aren’t hard to miss too if you keep an eye out. Just last month, the team at Steam held a Lunar New Year sale, and the stable included several popular games, even bigger titles like Witcher III.

These game sales normally cut the price on best-selling, newly-released or old-gem-type titles, with rates going up to 90% in some cases. Adding games to your wishlist will help a ton, too, as Steam will alert you via e-mail or mobile app when they go on sale. If you’re a PC gamer, taking advantage of Steam’s regular sales is a surefire way to get the games you want for a fraction of the price.

GOG.COM SALES

DRM-free game distribution website GOG holds game sales with some pretty cool deals every once in a while. They have weekly staff picks where you get an entire set of games for a low price. Also up on the site are weekend promos, which are the standard sales deal. More adventurous gamers willing to part with $3.00 can do so for a mystery game that isn’t in their library yet- this is a pretty good way to get something you’ve never tried out before for relatively cheap, especially if you’ve hit a roadblock with regards to what game to get next. This is the site to watch for the best deals on older gems and indie titles.

PLAYSTATION FLASH SALES

You can’t go wrong with Sony’s PlayStation Flash Sales! The sales themselves go up every month, usually with a theme tying together the games that receive rather sizable price cuts, some even going for up to 80% off. Games that usually cost $14.99-$19.99 get their prices cut down to about $4.

Game titles for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Vita are usually what’s included, so if you own any of them, keep an eye peeled for the sales. Sometimes, even movies are added to the discounted games, which is perfect for movie buffs who want to get cheaper titles with their games. Flash sales usually occur on weekends, but not always.

XBOX LIVE SALES

Xbox players need not despair because there are sales and specials held on Xbox Live almost every week. Xbox Live Gold members benefit most from these Xbox deals, and can save up to 50-75% on games with the exclusive Deals with Gold sales, where games get nearly half-off in price. Furthermore, they can also avail of free games every month with the Games with Gold deal.

Xbox players might also want to look out for Ultimate Sales, which are usually held 2-3 times a year. Holidays also seem to be big days for bargains, with last December’s Countdown Sale promising more than 200 Xbox deals. As usual, Xbox Live Gold members got to save the most, so getting one if you don’t have one yet might be a worthy investment.